The Natural World - Page 8

Insect Unknown?

Well not quite. Possibly a Wasp Beetle - Clytus Arietis, if these things fly and take-off rapidly in a nervous fashion. It would not sit still long enough to focus on it so I had to grab what I could.

The picture was taken on Fujicolor Supera 200 using one of my trusty Minolta SRTs and scanned using a Minolta Dimâge Scan Speed.

A 75-300mm macro zoom with a 36mm extension tube was used on one of the Minoltas for this hand-held shot.

This unknown species (to myself at present that is) would appear to be a species of fly masquerading as a wasp. Whatever it is, it was very touchy about being photographed (and seemed agitated anyway) and after a number a failed attempts where it took off before I could get accurate focus I made this desperate shot.